Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was one of the main Union land forces. In July of 1861 the Union suffered a great loss at the battle of Bull Run. This resulted in General George B. McClellan being appointed as leader of the Union forces in and around Washington D.C. McClellan then created an army, this was known as the Army of the Potomac. This army would have many different commanders through its span of the Civil War. General George B. McClellan was the creator and commander of the Army of the Potomac. McClellan remained as the commander from July 1861 to November 1862. The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War (JCCW) was a group of Radical Republicans that very quickly developed an unfavorable relationship with McClellan. The JCCW disliked…

George B. McClellan 1826-1885 was a United States Army officer, railroad president, and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War 1861-65. McClellan organized the Army of the Potomac in 1861 and briefly served as general-in-chief of the Union Army. McClellan was well liked by his men but his reluctance to attack the Confederacy with the full force of his Army despite having a significant advantage put him on bad terms with President Abraham Lincoln. In 1862 McClellan…

Unity was not emboldening the Union Army leadership. In Washington, many important figures were continuing to plot McClellan’s downfall. The Secretary of War was brazenly seeking statements from anyone that help build his case that the general was at fault for the defeat by not completing his assault on Richmond. As well, the secretary was criticizing his withdrawal as “being made dilatory fashion.” The withdrawal had nothing to do with the general; in fact he protested his orders from…

aggressive leader. General Hooker spearheaded the Union assault at the Battle of Antietam, which ended in a stalemate. During the devastating Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, General Hooker’s units sustained heavy casualties. General Hooker recognized the futility of the Union’s effort to assault the Confederate forces that were firmly entrenched and repeatedly repelled the Union’s assaults. After the defeat at Fredericksburg, General Hooker was so critical of the leadership…

In April 1861, General Robert E. Lee was offered command of the Union Army by Abraham Lincoln. Lee declined this offer writing “I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children,” (p.81). The General a few days later, accepted his appointment as commander in chief to Virginia;s military. Lee knew that the North was plentiful in resources so they would win a war of abrasion. With this in mind, he hoped that the south could win a few battles and pressure Lincoln to stop the…

It was not only the first major battle of the Union and Confederate Armies, but it was also the Union’s first loss. The battle took place on 21 July 1861 and it referred as the battle of Manassas, however, became known as the Battle of the Bull Run due to meander stream where the battle took placed named Bull Run. It is important to point out that the battle was in repercussion from the attack of the Confederates Armies at Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861 near Charlestown South Carolina, “this is…

volunteers” (41). After this, another bill for an additional five hundred thousand was signed. This action showed that Lincoln was serious about the war. He knew they needed troops, so he made sure that the Union got them. Another instance of Lincoln’s direct involvement was when “at the end of January he issues two orders to force Halleck and Buell as well as McClellan into action” (69). With this order, Lincoln wanted “principle union armies to advance more or less simultaneously to threaten…

Over 600,000 casualties was the devastating result of the Civil War, America’s bloodiest military conflict. The South’s decision to secede from the Union is what prompted the onset of the Civil War, which started April 12, 1861- May 9,1865. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Colonel for the Union army. Although he was in multiple battles in the Civil War, he is most remembered for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg. Of all battles fought during the Civil War, it was argued that the Battle of…

General Dan Sickles spent his life after the battle claiming that he had forced decisions at the battle at Gettysburg onto Meade because he had intended to retreat. Meade had no intention of winning the battle and wanted to retreat. General Sickles claim was supported by General Butterfield, who stated that Meade ordered him to prepare a retreat order for the Union army. Butterfield and Sickles were good friends, so it is argued whether they can be trusted, Meade didn’t trust them. Sickles was a…

ever fought in North America. During the first three days of July 1863, the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia turned a small town in Southern Pennsylvania into the site of a struggle for the future of the United States. More than 50,000 men fell as casualties (men listed as killed, wounded, or missing/captured), a scale of suffering never seen before or…